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Intel Plans Linux/Mozilla Web Appliance
Quite a number of people have been writing about the latest Web appliance. Intel is unveiling a Linux/Mozilla box at CES that will run a Celeron processor. Intel is planning pricing to be between $300 and $700, with some upgradability. More technical details will be forthcoming, but one of the interesting parts is that they plan to include a phone in the device, perhaps hoping to replace phones around the house.
Following recent discussions on /. about the apparent perceived demise of the Mozilla project, this is a much needed 'shot in the arm' for the project team.
What other OS would you propose then? Linux has all the required services and hardware support already, and no licensing costs. No development costs. Does that explain why?
Even though I'm a linux newbie (so someone please correct me if I'm wrong) but with using linux they would not have to pay a licensing fee for an os (i.e. M$). Also I would guess that they could build a kernal that would be pretty darn small to run the apps that they need (read no code bloated os taking up tons of disk space), AND also have it be an open source so that they could modify the os to suit their needs. To me it is not jumping on a bandwagon but a smart business AND development decision.
Who knows? They might get clever with the phone combination - perhaps being able to talk on the phone while still online at a lower speed? That would be handy for those of us with one phone line. Or perhaps they could integrate online games into the base unit. But I still feel that unless a company can offer a Web gizmo that's radically different from a PC or well below $200, PCs will continue to be the surfing platform of choice.
Yes, Linux does seem like a good choice. If you compare it with Windows CE, it is alot smaller and not as heavy on memory. (compare windows CE devices and Palm OS devices.) Linux also allows for alot of tweaking by Intel. I bet they are going to idiot proof these appliances and on top of that make sure that they do not become a too big threat for the PC market.
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This is presumably intels attempt at cementing their foothold in the current iMac/WebTV and other cheap internet access markets.
It sounds like a bit of a prospective investment, reactions will be gauged and to be honest I can't see it taking off that well, but it's interesting to see none the less.
Intel are in a threatened situation, more and more home users are turning to TV top boxes and cheaper alternatives to PCs for net access, maybe this is intels answer?
Just a thought.
This could be a really useful device, ground breaking even, the first true internet appliance. If Intel is good at marketing (and they are) they'll aim these squarely at the segment of the population who doesn't really need or want a computer but who may be convinced of the utility of browsing the web.
Consider that a couple years ago I bought my dad (73 years old now) a computer. It was a Macintosh and despite my worries its probably the most used gift he's ever received. He writes email, browses the web and plays a few games. He's even managed to use google to find stuff I've written and other things he finds interesting. I'm actually pretty impressed seeing as this was his first exposure to a computer.
My mom on the other hand has no real desire to use it. I've shown her a few things which interest her but she can't overcome the concept that she'd be "a computer user". I bet I could buy her one of these though and she'd use it a lot. It's got a regular phone so it is fine in the kitchen or whatever it is you call the area where we typically have dinner. If by default (or through a single click) it hooked up to the Searchable Online Archive of Recipes she'd use it a lot. Add in some more links for other interests (quilting or needle point or whatever) and she'd use it even more.
Eventually I'm sure she'd outgrow it and start using my dad's computer. That's fine. In a lot of cases despite this device being sold in a garage sale for 10 bucks within a year its still a win for Intel. They buy a new computer with... an Intel processor.
I don't see this as a big win for Linux. My mom (or my dad) isn't going to run and buy an Intel box to run Linux on. Sorry, Linux just isn't applicable here at this point in time. Linux just enabled Intel to sell these boxes at a really low price point.
Intel has been pissed at microsoft for years now. MS have been VERY slow in implementing diferant intel technologies, and as a result intel started looking at alternative OS's for some time. The best example of Intels annoyance at microsoft is the slow adoption of task switching (386 and higher I think) the chips intruduced in 1985 which had task switching didn't get a MS operating system until 1995. Another good example is MS slow adoption of USB. Although win95 versions (from OSR2.5) did include USB support, MS didn't do nothing to addvertize that fact to end users. They tryed to change that in win98 (3 years after the standard was finalized..). Intel is interested in getting people to buy intel chips. Not helping Microsoft. Intel has realized that a lot of high performance intel chips are going into machines that act as servers running linux and BSD and thouse comunities react much faster to improvments and changes that intel adds to their proccessors.
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If I remember correctly, the patents on RSA are set to expire soon. This removes one barrier: more crypto can then be legally Open-Sourced.
The next problem comes with crypto restrictions. My guess is, either Mozilla will have to get a permit or we'll have to wait for the crypto source export restrictions to be lifted. Alternatively, a module could be developed overseas which plugs into Mozilla (will Mozilla be able to work with plug-ins, by the way?).
I agree; crypto is absolutely vital for a Web appliance. If Mozilla (or some version thereof) doesn't end up with crypto of some kind, then there's no way I could recommend it for this type of machine.
If these are going to be used as phones, why not overclock the processor to 900MHz (or 2.4 GHz!) to match the frequency of cordless phones?
This would settle those occasional comments about CPU frequency interfering with radio frequency and vice versa, since they don't.
AnandTech, Sharky Extreme, Adrenaline Vault, and Ars Technica seem to have screenshots of a new overclocking record every week or two. I believe it currently stands at ~1300MHz -- is 2.4GHz unreasonable to think?
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E2 IN2 IE?
Right, but BSD's licensing terms would suit them that much better -- in fact, other packaged products built/sold by Intel do use BSD.
Here's a /. story about it from last week.
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E2 IN2 IE?
That's what it says in the article.
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